Our Lives Now
by My Whole Life Is Thunder
Summary: Third in my Tony and Emily series. The family continues to grow and change. With weddings, pregnancies, new babies, and adoptions. Meanwhile one of their own fights for his life after falling victim to an vengeful shooting. Same pairings as "This Is Us". Possible major character death.
1. Prologue:Our Lives Now

Tony placed his hand on Emily's stomach. She wasn't quite showing yet she just had a tiny bump that was only visible if she lifted up her shirt. She was about two month along and Laura was three and a half. Emily and him would be getting married in a month in a double wedding with McGee and Delilah and Gibbs was getting married the next weekend. Being his fifth and Marie's second wedding they didn't want anything fancy. Just a few close friends and a small ceremony. Jackson was twenty months and Tony was already planning his second birthday. Things were so crazy at the time of his first that it had just been a small party with the family. Emily was meeting with a counselor twice a week and keeping up with her treatment.

"I can already feel a bump." Tony commented.

"Will I get huge?" Emily asked.

"I don't know but I don't care." Tony assured.

"I got huge with Carly but barely showed with Dylan of course I went into labor a twenty five weeks. Carly was only a week early and only because I had a planned C-Section." Emily explained.

"Just give me a healthy baby. I don't care what you look like." Tony replied.

"I'll try" Emily replied.

* * *

McGee rocked his month old son in his arms. Dylan John was doing great and Delilah was recovering well from her delivery. It was taking longer but considering she'd had a C-Section and her having paraplegia. It was too be expected. She hadn't had any severe complications and Dylan was healthy. So McGee didn't mind pulling a little extra weight. He had just gone back to work that day and found it harder than expected to be away from his family. Vance assured him that it was normal and even he had felt that way when returning after Jared and Kayla's births.

"How was your first day?" Delilah asked.

"I missed you guys." McGee replied.

"We missed you too." Delilah replied.

"Do you know if you are going back to work?" McGee asked.

"I don't know I may take a year. I may not go back." Delilah explained.

"I will support you no matter what." McGee assured.

* * *

Gibbs sat beside Marie on the bed. They had announced their engagement just a few weeks ago and were now getting married in just five days. It was a whirlwind decision but they were glad they made it.

"You looking forward to the wedding?" Gibbs asked.

"Wouldn't have said yes if I weren't." Marie assured.

"I know but five days." Gibbs replied.

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs are you getting cold feet?" Marie asked.

"None of my other marriages ended well." Gibbs replied.

"Fifth times a charm." Marie assured.

Abby and Danial watched six year old Owen run around the backyard. He was a shy and slightly nervous child but loving and adapting well.

"He's so wonderful." Abby said.

"Yes he is." Danial agreed.

"I can't wait until he is legally ours." Abby replied.

"Me either just ten more weeks." Danial replied.

"Do you want to have more?" Abby asked.

"Maybe down the road but Owen is enough for now." Danial replied.

* * *

Jimmy was finally feeling true happiness. For the first time since Breena had died. Amy and him had been dating for a month and Kristen was learning to crawl. They had decided that he would adopt her when Amy and him became serious. He was walking home from the bus stop after getting off from NCIS.

"Jimmy!" Somebody called.

"What?" Jimmy asked whirling around expecting Amy instead he saw a masked person holding a gun. He tried to run but it was too late.

*BANG!*

Jimmy crumpled to the ground blood was pouring from his chest and there was nobody on the small back street to help him.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of the new story? What will happen to Jimmy? New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.**


	2. About Jimmy

Ducky grabbed the bag out of his passenger seat and walked towards his former assistant's house. Amy had taken Kristen with her to her Mommy's Book Club meeting. Leaving young Jimmy on his own for dinner that night. The old Medical Examiner had not seen Jimmy since the day the team drove up to Stillwater to visit Anthony. He had always swore that when he retired he would make time every day to see Jimmy but life wasn't that flexible. If Jimmy wasn't busy with his new found family. He was working and when Jimmy actually was free. Ducky was occupied by one of the many activities that he took up to keep his mind busy in retirement. An active mind would hopefully stave off the onset of Alzheimer's at least for a little while longer. He couldn't be too distraught however. He was glad Jimmy had people to occupy his mind and time. He walked up to the house and rang the doorbell when nobody answered he knocked three times and waited. When again nobody came he looked back and saw Amy's car in the driveway. It took him a moment to remember Jimmy mentioning that Amy's breaks were acting up and Jimmy was lending her his car until they got around to getting them fixed. Still Jimmy should be home by now. He slowly walked back to the Morgan and dialed Jimmy's number. The phone rang and rang but nobody answered and after a while it went to voice-mail. He hung-up, waited a few seconds and called again. When again the phone went to voice-mail. He became concerned. He was walking back to the house. When he heard the screams. At first he thought it was just kids being loud or the start of a domestic argument. Then he heard the words "He's been shot!" Ducky took of running as fast as he could. Until he came to a crowd at the end of the street. "Pardon me I am a doctor." Ducky said causing the crowd to break and allowing him to get to the victim. When he saw who the poor soul was he felt a knot in his chest. He grabbed his heart pills, swallowed two and got to work. "Call ambulance!" Ducky called. Several people nodded and withdrew their cellphones.

"Hang on Mr. Palmer. Help is on the way. Please just hang on." Ducky pleaded pressing down on the wound.

* * *

Tony was the first to get the news. He had just cleared the table and set the dishes in the sink. Emily was washing the large knife used to chop the chicken but it was Carly's night to do the dishes. He picked Jack out of his high chair and wrinkled his nose. Apparently something the toddler ate had not agreed with him. Because he had pooped through his diaper and the smell was almost too offensive to the former cop. He raced Jack upstairs and changed him carrying the trash bag from the diaper pail downstairs with him and tossing it into the outdoor trashcan.

"When did you get so gross?" Tony asked.

"Daddy" Jack replied rolling his eyes.

"You definitely are Ziva's son." Tony remarked hugging his son.

"Tony phone!" Emily called.

"Who is it?" Tony asked.

"Ducky, hurry he seems upset." Emily replied.

"Got it" Tony replied taking the phone from Emily's hand.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Anthony it's me Ducky."

"Yeah Emily told me."

"Emily, oh yeah I did speak with her didn't I?"

"Are you alright, Ducky?"

"No I am not, Anthony."

"What's wrong?"

"I am at the hospital."

"The hospital? What's wrong?"

"Mr. Palmer's been shot!"

"Somebody shot, Jimmy?!"

"Yes he is in surgery at Bethesda. He is very critical. It doesn't look good."

"Is everybody else there?"

"No you were the first I could reach."

"OK I will call them and then drive down there. I may have to drive back home tonight but maybe Emily can run the store."

"Thank you, Anthony."

* * *

Tony hung up his phone and set it down on the table beside him. He set Jack on the couch and stumbled back on to the seat beside his son. He tried to process what he had just heard. Jimmy had been shot and was in critical condition. The team had lost enough the past year. Maybe Jimmy would be happier in heaven with Breena but he wasn't ready to lose him yet. He called McGee who promised to call Abby. As he was hanging up Emily came downstairs after going to help Carly with her homework.

"Was everything OK with Ducky?" Emily asked picking up Jack.

"No I need to go back to DC tonight." Tony replied.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked.

"Jimmy got shot. It doesn't look goo." Tony replied.

"Poor Jimmy's been through a lot lately." Emily replied.

"Yeah I know. I will be back soon but I need to go and say what I need to say." Tony replied.

"Can't you stay longer?" Emily asked.

"No I need to get back to the store." Tony replied.

* * *

Tony hugged Jack and Emily and told them goodnight. Before walking out of the house and climbing into his car. He stopped at Gibbs's apartment. He hated to interrupt the candlelight dinner that Gibbs was having with Marie to celebrate their engagement but he had to. He wanted everybody to at least see Jimmy just in case it was the last time. He knocked on the door and heard shuffling in the apartment before Gibbs opened the door in only his boxers.

"Kind of interrupting something, Tony!" Gibbs snapped.

"Ducky called me. Jimmy got shot he is in critical condition and it is not looking good. He is at Bethesda." Tony explained.

"OK let me get dressed and talk to Marie." Gibbs replied.

"Want to carpool?" Tony asked.

"You coming back tonight?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah" Tony replied.

"OK give me ten minutes." Gibbs replied

* * *

**A/N: Will Jimmy survive? New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.**


	3. Fights

The drive from Stillwater to Washington was extremely tense. Ducky called Gibbs borderline hysterical just as they were pulling out. Tony made the mistake of leaning in closer to try and hear Ducky's side of the conversation and ended up getting a hard slap to the back of the head. He then started screaming at Gibbs about how dangerous it was to "Gibbs Slap" the person who was driving. To which Gibbs retorted that it was dangerous for the driver of the car to lean in and try to eavesdrop on a private conversation. After that the ride commenced in silence until Tony noticed that he was running low on gas and turned into the nearest gas station. They were about an hour out from Stillwater. With another hour to go before they would arrive in DC.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Gibbs demanded.

"Getting gas" Tony replied.

"Gas? You remember when I had had to use the bathroom and you assured me that we had plenty and it would be fine to stop at the rest stop." Gibbs questioned.

"I read the gauge wrong." Tony replied.

"Read the gauge wrong? How long have you been driving?" Gibbs asked.

"A long time but I am worried about Jimmy." Tony explained.

"I am too but I don't go around forgetting things." Gibbs snapped.

"You forgot to pee." Tony argued.

"Just wait until your my age." Gibbs warned.

"I am only fifteen years younger than you." Tony reminded.

"Oh yeah" Gibbs replied.

"A full five years older than your fiancee." Tony chided.

"Oh really? We're going there?" Gibbs asked.

"Just let me get gas! So we can get to DC!" Tony yelled.

* * *

Ducky sat hunched over in the hospital waiting room. Jimmy had been in surgery for hours and they still didn't know anything. He didn't know how he would cope if he lost the young man who had become his son over the years. Timothy had stepped out to phone Delilah, checking on her and Dylan and Abigail had gone to get coffee for everybody. Elanor had already gone to bed but Jake assured they would be by first thing in the morning.

"Dr. Mallard?" Dr. Allen called.

"Yes?" Ducky replied.

"Jimmy is out of surgery but he had to have three units of blood and the bullet did a lot of damage to his heart." Dr. Allen explained.

"What are his chances?" Ducky asked.

"He has about a ten percent chance of making it through the night." Dr. Allen explained.

"Would it be possible for me to see him?" Ducky asked.

"Briefly yes" Dr. Allen replied.

"His girlfriend is coming. She was with the police. They always question the girlfriend's first. She was cleared but has been under protective custody ever since." Ducky explained.

"Immediate family only." Dr. Allen replied apologetically.

* * *

Gibbs hopped into the backseat while Tony pumped gas. He made a point not to say anything else the rest of the drive. He doubted that Tony even noticed that he had moved or even cared that he had gotten back in the car after running into the store to grab a cup of coffee. He wondered what had gotten into his son to make him so argumentative. Tony pulled into a spot at the hospital and climbed out of the car. Gibbs got out and followed Tony inside.

"We are here to see, Jimmy Palmer." Tony explained to the receptionist.

"Oh I am sorry but Mr. Palmer is only allowed immediate family visitors." The receptionist explained.

"Oh really?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes" The receptionist replied.

"Are you telling me that I left my fiancee to come here and Jimmy is only allowed family visitors? Why didn't you tell me, Tony?" Gibbs asked accusingly.

"I didn't know, Ducky just told me to get down here." Tony explained.

"I told you we could have waited." Gibbs replied.

"I have to run the store!" Tony snapped.

"I am the sheriff." Gibbs spat.

"Hey!" McGee yelled.

"What?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah what?" Tony asked.

"Ducky just told me that Jimmy only has a ten percent chance of making it through the night! And here you two arguing! We should be coming together for Ducky!" McGee snapped.

"You're right" Tony agreed.

"Yeah, I am sorry Tony." Gibbs apologized.

"Apology accepted and I am sorry too." Tony replied.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. I think this story is going to be a short story. Anyway Jimmy's survival is going to be based on if they get killed off the show or not. I have a bad feeling. New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.**


	4. No News Is Good News

Gibbs sat with his arm wrapped protectively around his friend's shoulders. He had declared Jimmy's critical state a family emergency and called in to the sheriff's office. The deputies promised to step up and fulfill his duties for the day. Most days in Stillwater the major crime was kids stealing candy from the store and traffic violations. Gibbs had been extremely cautious in selecting his deputies. The town of Stillwater had eight deputies working six hour sifts in pairs of two. He had let go of two deputies who had been too close to Ed and seemed to want to forgive all he had done and hail him as a hero in death. The two new hires had been hand selected by only Gibbs and Tony. The six remaining deputies had raised their eyebrows at the new sheriff only allowing the shop keeper and his son to assist him on selecting the new deputies. Until Gibbs informed them that Tony had been a federal agent under his command for eleven years, a detective for a year and a half before that, and a beat cop for six years before that. The deputies remained skeptical until Tony reeled in two young father's who had grown-up in Stillwater but worked in larger cities until close calls caused them to rethink their priorities and a great offer from their hometown lured them back to Stillwater. Between the eight deputies and Tony's promise to keep an eye out. Gibbs had no problem skipping a day or two to sit with his friend and wait for news on Jimmy. So far there were no updates but as Ducky reminded him, Abby, McGee, and Bishop. No news was good news. Amy sat on the opposite side of Ducky rocking a whimpering baby Kristen in her arms.

"How are you holding up Amy?" Ducky asked.

"We had finally gotten on the same page. Now he could leave us forever." Amy replied eyes filled with tears.

"I never had the opportunity to have children of my own but Mr. Palmer always seemed to fill the void." Ducky explained.

"He was a great friend to me. Right from the start." McGee replied.

"I didn't know him well but he was always there when I needed him." Bishop replied.

"He was Jimmy. I can't believe he is the one we are waiting for. He was always the last one we would expect to lose." Abby rambled.

"I always liked that kid. I hope he pulls through." Gibbs replied.

"Me too" Ducky whispered.

"He will be OK, Duck. That kid looks weak but he is tough. He will come back to us like nothing ever happened." Gibbs assured.

"He lost so much blood. So much oxygen. The chances of him coming through with out damage. Are next to none." Ducky countered.'

"He will be OK because he does not have permission not to be OK." Gibbs vowed.

"I will give him that order just as soon as they let me back into his room." Ducky replied.

"And I will reinforce it when he is allowed visitors." Gibbs promised.

"Thank you Jethro." Ducky replied.

"He is my team, my family." Gibbs reminded.

* * *

Tony nervously tapped his fingers on the counter. He wished that he had just stayed back in DC but he couldn't leave the store without somebody running it and right now Ducky needed Gibbs to be there for him. More than Tony was needed to be there. It would be a while before Jimmy could have visitors outside of immediate family and besides McGee, Bishop, and Abby were all right there if Jimmy could get visitors sooner than expected. He looked up and saw Emily walk inside pushing Jack in a stroller and Carly was running ahead of her, in her dance outfit.

"Hey guys" Tony greeted.

"Hi Tony" Emily replied.

"Hi daddy!" Carly cried.

"Have you heard anything about Jimmy?" Emily asked.

"Not since last night." Tony replied.

"Well no news is good news." Emily reminded.

"That's what Ducky said." Tony agreed.

"Are you going back tonight?" Emily asked.

"I might if Jimmy is allowed more visitors." Tony replied.

* * *

Tony closed up the store and headed towards home. He picked up his phone and checked his messages and missed calls. His heart sank when he saw that there wasn't anything from Ducky, Gibbs, or anyone from back home. Just one call from Emily. His heart skipped another beat. What if something had happened to one of the babies. He rushed home as fast as he could. When he arrived he found Emily sitting on the couch with the kids watching TV.

"Is everything OK?" Tony wheezed.

"Yeah we are fine. You sound a little out of breath. Are you OK?" Emily asked.

"I ran home. I was worried because I had a missed call from you." Tony explained.

"Oh sorry about that Jack got a hold of my phone and made a bunch of calls." Emily apologized.

"Good" Tony replied.

"Have you heard from DC?" Emily asked.

"No" Tony sighed.

"They would call you if anything happened." Emily assured.

"I know but so much is going through my head. I love Jimmy so much. I can't imagine losing him. He is like my best-friend." Tony explained.

* * *

After visiting hours had ended and Abby, McGee, and Bishop had gone home. Gibbs remained at the hospital with Amy and Ducky. One of the sisters from Abby's church had come by to visit and pray over Jimmy. When she left she had taken Kristen with had and promised to take care of her until Jimmy was doing better. Ducky found himself trying to fall into a fitful sleep around eleven thirty that night. Gibbs sat by his side and kept a watchful eye over his friend. About an hour after Ducky fell asleep a doctor came into the waiting room.

"I need Dr. Mallard, Jimmy Palmer's father." The doctor called.

"Hey Duck" Gibbs called.

"What? Oh Dr. Jackson." Ducky replied.

"I have great news for you. Jimmy is awake and expected to make a full recovery." Dr. Jackson replied.

* * *

**A/N: Yay! Jimmy is going to be OK! New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading. **


	5. Second Attack

Saturday night Tony closed up the store and made the drive back to DC. Jimmy had made tremendous improvement since being shot but he was still incredibly weak. The doctors had placed him in a drug induced coma. Not like he would be very responsive and awake much anyway. His diabetes meant that his wound was going to heal slower than it would on a healthy person. His heart had been damaged by the bullet. It was a serious injury and one the required a lot of monitoring but so far the organ was still functioning properly. Tony pulled into the parking lot of Bethesda. He parked next to Gibbs's truck in the parking lot. Gibbs was making the trip from Stillwater every night after work. Tony wished he could make the same commitment but by the time he closed the store he was drained. He also had to give some of his time to Emily and the kids. Marie was able to make the drive every night but it wouldn't be good for the kids to be on the road late at night and then expected to get up for school the next morning. Tony got out of his car and walked towards the hospital. He saw Gibbs sitting outside on one of the benches drinking coffee out of a hard travel mug.

"Hey dad" Tony greeted.

"Hey Tony" Gibbs replied.

"How is he?" Tony asked.

"Same as he was before but recovery takes a while." Gibbs explained.

"He allowed visitors yet?" Tony asked.

"Hours just ended but tomorrow you will be able to see him briefly every few hours." Gibbs explained.

"How is Ducky holding up?" Tony asked.

"He's coming around but this has been very hard on him." Gibbs explained.

"I can't wait until Jimmy is better and things are back to normal." Tony replied.

"Me too" Gibbs agreed.

* * *

Ducky sat by his young assistant's side. Visiting hours were over but he was not ready to leave just yet. Jimmy had, had a good day but he knew all to well that could change at any moment. More than anything he feared that as soon as he left his son's side. Jimmy would take a bad turn or worse die. Leaving was almost impossible for him. If it weren't for Jethro baby-sitting him and Amy wanting time with Jimmy. He would probably never willingly leave the room.

"Dr. Mallard?" One of Jimmy's nurses called.

"What can I do for you Jill?" Ducky asked.

"I am sorry but visiting hours have ended and we can't let you stay in here anymore." Jill explained.

"Very well" Ducky sighed.

"Hey we will let you know if there are any changes good or bad." Jill assured.

"I know it's just hard to leave him." Ducky explained.

"I understand completely but this is good for both of you. Jimmy will rest better if he is alone and you need to relax a bit as well." Jill explained.

"I know" Ducky replied standing up and leaving the room.

* * *

Due to limited room in the waiting area Tony and Gibbs were spending the night with McGee and Delilah. Tony was looking forward to seeing his Probie again and getting to spend a little time with him. He was still struggling to deal with being apart from his family. When Tony and Gibbs arrived to the McGee house, Tony was surprised to see his friend sitting awake on the couch.

"What are you doing up?" Tony asked.

"Couldn't sleep" McGee admitted.

"Why not?" Tony asked.

"Tony, I got shot today." McGee explained.

"Holy shit Probie! You got shot?!" Tony cried.

"Shh, Delilah doesn't know." McGee whispered.

"OK but still finding out your former partner was shot is not an easy thing to accept." Tony explained.

"I got hit just under the breast bone. I was wearing a vest and the doctor said I would probably feel it tomorrow but I was going to be fine." McGee explained.

"If you are so OK why can't you sleep?" Tony asked.

"Physically I am fine but I am pretty shaken." McGee replied.

"Understandable" Tony replied.

"The thing is Tony. I have a son now and Delilah is paralyzed. I know she can raise him on her own but I can't do that to her. I just can't." McGee explained.

"OK so what are you going to do?" Tony asked.

"I gave Vance my retirement papers." McGee replied.

"Are you sure?" Tony asked.

"Tony, I was shot and I don't want it to happen again fatally. I don't want to leave my family. Th same reason you quit." McGee explained.

"OK but what are you going to do next?" Tony asked.

"I was thinking of joining you guys in Stillwater. I am sure I could find a good job there and the cost of living is cheap enough there. That Delilah could be a stay at home mom even if I just work at the general store." McGee explained.

"You really want to move to Stillwater?" Tony asked.

"Yeah I miss you guys." McGee admitted.

"I miss you too." Tony agreed.

* * *

It was late and Ducky had long since left Jimmy's room. He was in a fitful sleep on one of the couches in the waiting room. Any doctors not attending to patients in other parts of the hospital were sleeping in the on call room. Only two nurses remained in the ICU at that hour. Bethesda was a large and busy hospital. That it was reasonable not all staff new each other just by their faces. So when a nurse slipped into the ICU. The two night nurses didn't bat an eye. She had all the proper credentials and the second nurse recalled seeing her in the break-room once or twice. She stepped into Jimmy's cubicle, still pretending like she belonged there. It wasn't until the door closed behind her that she took a knife out of her scrubs pocket. She flipped it open and violently sliced his throat. Jimmy started hemorrhaging and she made her way out of the room like nothing had happened.

* * *

**A/N: Who attacked Jimmy and why? Will he be OK? New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.**


	6. Rude Awakening

Ducky awoke to the ear piercing, high pitched shriek of a flat-lining heart monitor. He bolted upright on the couch and fumbled until he could find his glasses on the table beside him. He put his glasses on and saw that other family members were awakened by the unpleasant sound and were now waiting to hear if it was their loved one who was crashing down the hall. The shrieking continued for almost twenty minutes and then came to an abrupt stop. The occupants of the waiting room looked around at each other nervously as the thump of foot-prints came closer. The door opened and the doctor didn't even have to take a step or even look up. For Ducky to know exactly what had happened. Still he felt the air be punched out of him, when the doctor walked over to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. The other occupants of the room gave him sympathetic looks that only made it harder for the old man to breathe.

"I am sorry, Dr. Mallard we did all we could." The doctor replied.

"What happened? He was doing fine when I left." Ducky asked.

"A nurse slipped into his room and when we responded to the code we found that his throat had been slit." The doctor explained.

"Are you saying that one of your staff _murdered_, Jimmy?!" Ducky questioned.

"That's what it looks like. The cops have been called and security is going over the footage from that area." The doctor explained.

"You had better find out who did that! He was supposed to be safe!" Ducky snapped.

"Dr. Mallard please take it easy. We are doing all we can." The doctor explained.

"If you had done all you could, Jimmy would still be alive!" Ducky snapped shoving passed the doctor and out of the room.

* * *

Gibbs was awakened by the sound of his cellphone buzzing. He tiredly reached over and picked it up off of the nightstand. He was expecting it to be Marie calling to see what was going on or ask him where something was in the apartment. Instead his caller ID showed that it was Ducky. He quickly flipped the phone open, heart pounding. He knew right away that it was going to be bad news. Ducky never called at this hour with good news.

"Hello?"

"Jethro, it's me Ducky."

"I know that Duck, what's up?"

"He He's gone!"

"Who's gone?"

"Jimmy!"

"Where did he go?"

"He's dead Jethro! Somebody went into his room and slit his throat!"

"Oh God Duck! I am so sorry!"

"They said that it was a nurse and she just went in and slit his throat."

"Do you want me to call NCIS and have a team sent over?"

"No they already called the local LEO's."

"OK then I am coming over."

"I just want that person to rot in hell."

"That's we're they're going if I have any say in it."

* * *

Tony woke up with a start. The McGee's only had three bedrooms and just a small twin bed in the spare. Which was more of a glorified closet. So he had let Gibbs take the bed and he was sleeping on the ancient fold out couch that McGee had, had since college. They had bought a super expensive plush couch but it wouldn't work with Delilah's wheelchair. He could understand them wanting to get out of this rental property. The landlord had promised it was the most handicap friendly of any of his homes and if that was the case. The other houses and apartments were in clear violation of regulations. On top of that the walls were paper thin. So it was easy for him to awakened by the sound of Gibbs's phone ringing and without trying he heard his former bosses side of the conversation. What he heard caused his heart to leap up to his throat. He jumped up, run down the hall, and pound on McGee's door.

"Timmy!" Delilah shrieked.

"I'll check it out." McGee yawned.

* * *

"What?!" McGee demanded opening the door.

"Gibbs just got a call from Ducky." Tony replied.

"So?" McGee asked.

"Jimmy's dead!" Tony cried.

"What?" McGee asked.

"Jimmy died! Somebody killed him! In the hospital!" Tony cried.

"Are you sure?" McGee asked.

"I heard Gibbs talking through the walls." Tony explained.

"You had to have misunderstood. Maybe he was legally dead and revived or something." McGee reasoned.

"I am afraid that Tony is right." Gibbs replied solemnly.

"No" McGee gasped.

"What can we do?" Tony asked.

"You guys at least try to get some more sleep. I am going to Bethesda to comfort Ducky." Gibbs explained.

* * *

Gibbs pulled into the parking lot of Bethesda. His heart was pounding out of his chest. If he was feeling this devastated over Jimmy's demise. He wished that he could say that he could not even begin to imagine how Ducky must be feeling. Because he could because it was how he felt after Kelly died. After that bastard killed her. Needless to say he was deeply worried about his old friend. Losing Kelly had nearly destroyed him and he was much younger and healthier than Ducky when he lost his little girl. At eighty after already suffering a heart attack and having other minor health issues. This kind of blow could very easily prove to be fatal. He walked inside and told the receptionist that he was family of Jimmy Palmer. She gave him a sympathetic look and told him where to go. He rode the elevator up to the ICU and found Ducky sitting in the middle of the waiting room. He walked over to his friend and took a seat beside him.

"Duck it's me." Gibbs whispered.

"Oh Jethro! He's gone!" Ducky cried.

"I know" Gibbs replied.

"I don't know if I can go on without him." Ducky sniffed.

"All I can do in this situation is say that I am going to be here for you." Gibbs replied stroking his friend's cheek.

* * *

**A/N: Poor Ducky and Amy but at least Jimmy is with Breena again. New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.**


	7. Change

Two weeks had passed since Jimmy's death. Tony had headed back to Stillwater after the funeral but Gibbs had taken bereavement leave and stayed for the entire two weeks. Unfortunately he was on his last day of leave and was expected back at the sheriff's office the following day. He would have no problem going back to work. If it weren't for Ducky. The old man was in a clear and deep depression. He had only changed twice since leaving the hospital. The only time he had left the house was to attend Jimmy's funeral service four days after his death. Gibbs had decided long before his leave over that he would bring Ducky back to stay with him in Stillwater. He knew that what his friend needed most right now as a change of scenery. That's what saved him when Shannon and Kelly were killed. Was living out in California for two years after their deaths. Being away from the memories of Jimmy would help Ducky heal. Stillwater held it's own memories of Jimmy but not near as many as DC did. Besides the fact that Ducky would soon have more "family" in Stillwater. Than he had left in DC. Tony and Gibbs had been living there for almost a year and McGee was going to make the move in the coming weeks. With Jimmy gone and everybody else in Stillwater. Abby was bound to not be too far behind. Gibbs walked into Ducky's room and found his friend lying on his bed. Balled up in the same position he had been in when he had said goodnight to him the night before.

"You about ready to go, Duck?" Gibbs asked.

"Go where?" Ducky asked.

"Stillwater, you are moving out there with me." Gibbs explained.

"I can't go to Stillwater." Ducky commented.

"Why not?" Gibbs asked.

"Mr. Palmer needs me here. Breena and him are adopting a baby you know." Ducky commented.

"No Ducky, Jimmy and Breena are dead." Gibbs replied.

"What do you mean? What happened?" Ducky asked.

"They were killed. Breena died last year and Jimmy died just a few weeks ago." Gibbs explained.

"What? Oh yeah right. I remember now." Ducky replied.

* * *

Tony watched the door of the general store. Days like today he kind of hated the slow times. Gibbs was coming back to town. For the first time since Jimmy had died and he was bringing Ducky with him. Jimmy's death had been traumatic for the NCIS family but for Ducky it had been a crippling blow. He had always been so strong and independent but now Gibbs had to help him with just about everything. Tony had wanted his entire NCIS family to live in Stillwater but not like this. Not because Ducky was too broken to live on his own. Not because McGee had almost been killed in the field.

"Hey Tony" Marie greeted coming down the stairs.

"Hi Marie" Tony replied.

"Slow day?" Marie asked.

"Slow time for the store." Tony explained.

"Since you are slow. Can I talk to you about something?" Marie asked.

"Yeah sure. Is everything OK?" Tony asked.

"It's about Jethro." Marie replied.

"Look I am sorry he rescheduled the wedding but Ducky needed him." Tony started.

"No I am OK with that. It's just well. Last year Jethro and I were going to adopt a baby. There was this girl. Weirdly enough from Washington. She was pregnant with a baby that she had been carrying for a family member who couldn't have kids. She was planning on putting the baby up for adoption but then she met this guy and he was helping her out. Then the guy died a couple weeks ago and well they found her body this morning. Now they want me to take the kid." Marie explained.

"Why you?" Marie asked.

"I was going to adopt her baby before Amy changed her mind." Marie replied.

"Amy? Like Jimmy's Amy?" Tony asked.

"Yeah I guess I didn't know either well. I never made the connection." Marie explained.

"Sad" Tony commented.

"Yes it is. Now I really wish I knew what I should do." Marie replied.

"Go for it." Tony replied.

"Are you sure?" Marie asked.

"That's what Gibbs would say." Tony assured.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. Anyway what is going on with Ducky and will Gibbs and Marie adopt Amy's baby. New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.**


	8. Suspicion

That night Tony was struggling to fall asleep. Something about Marie's story seemed hinky to him. He knew that Amy had loved Jimmy but her "suicide" seemed suspicious. He knew that she had looked into adoption before Jimmy stepped up to help. He knew all to well that the loss of a lover was a hard one to come back from but at the same time she loved Kristen. She also had the strong support of family. She had left the baby with her neighbor, she had then driven to an abandoned field and hung herself in a tree. She had been living with her mom ever since Jimmy had died. Surely somebody would have noticed if she was suicidal. Her aunt who was also living in the house. Was a therapist who had worked for a suicide for years. Surely she would have caught on to her niece's strange behavior and done something to intervene. Normally he would just accuse himself of being irrational but they still hadn't caught Jimmy's killer. It was clear that somebody had a grudge against him but what if they had the same feelings about his family? What if the baby was the next target. What if Gibbs and Marie were killed in the cross-hairs?

"Tony you are shaking the bed." Emily commented tiredly.

"Sorry I am just worried." Tony apologized.

"Still worrying about Ducky?" Emily asked.

"Yes but that's not what's keeping me up." Tony replied.

"What's wrong then?" Emily asked.

"I talked to Marie today and Jethro and her are going to adopt a baby together." Tony explained.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Emily asked.

"Ordinarily yes but it's Amy's baby. The girl Jimmy was dating."

"What's wrong with that? Besides Amy would be likely to ask somebody she knows and we already have two babies on the way." Emily asked.

"No Emily, Amy is dead." Tony replied.

"She died?!" Emily gasped.

"They say she committed suicide but since Jimmy was murdered and she didn't seem to be suicidal when I last saw her." Tony explained.

"Have you told anyone? I mean if Gibbs and Amy are going to adopt their kid. Shouldn't somebody know so they aren't targeted." Emily asked.

"I need to call NCIS." Tony mumbled.

* * *

McGee surveyed the dark and empty bullpen. He kept reminding himself that he only had two weeks left at NCIS. He told everybody that he needed a change and only Tony knew about the shooting. In reality there was so much more going on that he wanted to get away from. NCIS had changed since Gibbs and Tony left. Things only got worse after Ducky retired and even more so after Jimmy died. Everybody was unhappy, Vance was talking about taking the kids back to Chicago and reopening the boxing gym where he had spent so much of his adolescence. Even Abby seemed unhappy. McGee suspected that she would be in Stillwater with in the month. His desk phone rang and he leaned over to answer it.

"Hello?"

"McGee it's me Tony."

"What's up, Tony? I am working now but you can call back on my cell."

"No McGee this is case related."

"What are you talking about?"

"I think Gibbs and Marie are in danger. They were supposed to be adopting Amy's baby."

"Why would they adopt Kristen?"

"Because Amy is dead and I don't think it was a suicide."

"What do you mean?"

"I think whoever killed Jimmy, killed Amy."

"I will call the LEO's but it sounds like you are just being paranoid."

* * *

Gibbs watched as Ducky slowly made his way back to bed. The incident this afternoon had only added to the concerns he was feeling for his friend. He seemed to be aware of the year and the recent changes since Gibbs had reminded him but he still seemed forgetful and tired. Gibbs was hopeful that adopting Kristen would help Ducky heal. His heart did break for Amy thought. Feeling so lost that she thought that suicide was the only answer. Jimmy's murder had shattered a lot of lives and it was killing Gibbs that he couldn't find the son of a bitch responsible but his life was here in Stillwater now. He was the sheriff. He was married and was adopting baby. Not to mention having to take care of Ducky. He couldn't go chasing lunatics every day anymore. Plus he wasn't getting any younger.

"Everything OK?" Marie asked.

"Yeah I am just worried about Ducky." Gibbs replied.

"The loss of Jimmy has been really hard on him." Marie commented.

"It's not just Jimmy's death though that may be the cause of it." Gibbs replied.

"The cause of what?" Marie asked.

"I think that he may be developing dementia." Gibbs replied glumly.

"I heard it can be triggered by stress." Marie sighed.

"Ducky told me that once and his mom had Alzheimer's" Gibbs replied.

"You need to take him to the doctor, Jethro." Marie replied.

"I will make an appointment first thing in the morning." Gibbs replied.

"Are you still going to want to adopt Kristen?" Marie asked.

"Of course, God it's sad about Amy." Gibbs replied

"I know she seemed fine at the funeral. Shaken up and devastated but far from suicidal." Marie explained.

"It shocked me when I heard it too but maybe she was just putting on a brave face. I did that for years after I lost my girls." Gibbs explained.

* * *

From outside the house where Amy had spent her final days. He had done the job assigned to him and made it look like a suicide. She felt bad for killing an innocent woman but she wanted Tony and all Jimmy's other friends to be aware of the wrongs they had done. She had eliminated Jimmy because she couldn't stand that he was alive and Breena wasn't anymore. The others were just warnings to Tony's family who had screwed her over. Even more perfect would be when that baby ended up dead. From what would look like a case of SIDS.

* * *

**A/N: So Marie killed Amy and Jimmy and is now targeting Kristen. Will McGee and co catch her? New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.**


	9. Safe For Now

Even though he was assured that agents would be sent to Stillwater right away. Tony was still feeling uneasy. He got out of bed, walked downstairs, grabbed his gun from the safe and walked towards his boss's house. Even though he hadn't been in field in over a year. He was still a federal agent and thus it was his duty to protect his dad. He had kept up the tough physical standards of being a federal agent. He figured he owed it to whoever gave him their lungs to keep them in top shape and he owed it to Emily to keep his body in shape. None of that was important right now. All that mattered to him was making sure that nobody hurt Gibbs.

"I'm coming boss!" Tony called as he raced down the road.

* * *

Gibbs was awakened by the sound of his phone ringing. He leaned over and grabbed it off of the nightstand, careful not to wake Emily. An uneasy feeling washed over him when he saw that it was McGee calling him. It was way late for a social call. Which meant that something was wrong. Had something happened to Delilah or Dylan? He couldn't handle another loss, nobody could. He climbed out of bed, walked into the hallway, and answered his phone.

"Hello?"

"Boss, it's me McGee."

"What's up, McGee?"

"Tony called, he thinks that somebody is after Kristen. Agents have been sent to guard her and two more are heading your way."

"Shit"

"It's OK it's probably nothing but it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Yeah I uh have my gun, until agents arrive."

"Good"

*Knock* *Knock*

"Somebodies at the door."

"You want me to stay on the line?"

"Need two hands ta shoot, McGee."

* * *

Gibbs grabbed his gun and slowly made his way down the stairs. The knocking got more and more frantic the closer he got to the door. He had just come down the last step and was rounding the corner into the entry way. When the door opened, he cocked his gun and fired.

"Ahhh!" Tony screamed.

"Tony?!" Gibbs called realizing his mistake.

"Yes" Tony winced.

"Shit, Tony are you OK?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah the bullet missed me. Just shocked that's all." Tony asked.

"What are you doing here?" Gibbs asked.

"Well somebody may be out to kill you. I figured McGee would tell you. I know that Marie likes people to knock at night but I didn't think that you would shoot me for just coming in." Tony commented.

"McGee did tell me, hence me shooting at you." Gibbs clarified.

"OK maybe I didn't think things through. I am just glad that you are OK." Tony replied.

* * *

By the grace of God, Kristen got through the night unharmed. Agents Ross and Balboa arrived to find a man dressed in black except for a faded blue baseball cap. Neighbors had called the police and reported that he had been lurking up and down the street for several hours. The agents took over and instructed the LEO's to drop the man off at NCIS. If this man was responsible for the deaths of Jimmy and Amy than it was with in their jurisdiction.

"What is this about? I was just out for a walk!" The man demanded.

"Why were you walking up and down the same street for three hours?" McGee asked.

"It's called insomnia." The man remarked.

"I understand insomnia but why were you spending so much tome outside of Rena Tucker's home? Why were you looking through binoculars into the room of her granddaughter Kristen?" McGee asked.

"It was my job." The man replied darkly.

* * *

Agent Ross and Balboa were tasked with escorting Kristen to her new home in Stillwater. Agents Marcus and Lopez were assigned to stand guard over Gibbs and Marie. The four agents would work in shifts, keeping guard over the family. Until the threat had been eliminated. Gibbs stood on his front porch and waited for his new daughter to arrive. Agent Balboa's, Charger turned into the driveway. Gibbs excitedly called for Marie to come out. She walked outside and the couple walked down to the driveway and up to Balboa's car.

"Here she is." Ross said climbing out of the car with baby Kristen.

"Oh she is so cute!" Marie cried.

"She is adorable. I love her." Gibbs cooed.

"Do you guys have a lawyer?" Agent Ross asked.

"Yes we do." Marie replied.

"I cannot wait to get this process started." Gibbs replied excitedly.

"Me either we are looking to adopt two or three more children. Of course we are happy just to have Kristen here." Marie added.

"Yes, we both love children and adoption is an amazing process." Gibbs added.

* * *

Tony watched Carly and Jack play on the living room floor. Jack was getting so big and so curious. Tony thought he was more like Ziva but Emily said that she saw a lot of "Tony" in him. Sometimes Tony wished that he could have been with Ziva. That he could have gone to appointments with her and been present when Jack was born. He loved Emily and wanted to be with her forever. These wishes were more for Jack than for Ziva.

"Hi daddy!" Carly greeted.

"Hey Carly do you like your little brother?" Tony asked.

"Yes" Carly replied.

"How would you feel about having another brother or a sister?" Tony asked.

"I want a sister!" Carly cried.

"Well you could be getting a brother. Actually you may be getting two brothers, two sisters, or one of each." Tony explained.

"Twins?" Carly asked.

"No one baby from mommy and another baby from somebody else." Tony explained.

"As long as I get at least one sister." Carly replied running off to play with Jack.

* * *

**A/N: Who is the hit-man and will they catch Marie? New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.**


	10. Stillwater

Tony smiled at the picture Gibbs had texted him. After the shock of seeing a media text coming from Gibbs. He had been in awe of how precious the little girl was. Kristen was curled up in her crib clutching the teddy bear dressed up like a Marine that Gibbs had given her. She was such a cute little baby. He was glad that Gibbs and Marie had taken her in and were going to adopt her. It would have been tragic if she had gone from a loving and happy family to being forced into foster-care. He just hoped and prayed that they would catch Maya before she caused any more harm. The hit-man hired to kill Amy had given that name. She wanted Jimmy dead for betraying her sister but she wanted Amy dead too for taking the place of her sister. The hit-mans name was Davis Harrison and his next job was to kill baby Kristen and make it look like a case of SIDS. Similar to how he had made Amy's death look like a suicide. Why Maya wanted to kill Kristen was still a mystery. She hadn't done anything and Amy and Jimmy were both already dead. So it wasn't exactly a revenge thing. For just a moment Tony forgot about the danger surrounding him. He had two babies on the way and Jack wasn't that much older than Kristen. He could picture the four of them being best-friends growing up in the small-town. Dylan McGee would make a fine addition to the group as well. Emily walked into the room and sat down on the couch.

"What is it?" Emily asked.

"Look at this." Tony replied handing Emily his phone.

"Is that, Kristen?" Emily asked.

"Yes it is." Tony replied.

"She is so cute." Emily replied.

"Isn't she?" Tony asked.

"How are Gibbs and Marie liking being parents?" Emily asked.

"They are absolutely thrilled." Tony replied.

"Have they found the person who killed Jimmy yet?" Emily asked.

"They caught the hit-man who killed Amy and was going to kill Kristen but Jimmy's killer is still on the loose. Which means that there is still danger to the Gibbs's." Tony explained.

"Do they know who is targeting them?" Emily asked.

"You remember the nurse we had the first day we brought Dylan home, before he died?" Tony asked.

"Maya, right?" Emily asked.

"Yes, she wanted Jimmy and Amy dead because they betrayed Breena. I don't know why she wants to hurt Kristen but she does." Tony explained

"She took care of my son." Emily whispered.

"It's OK, Em you didn't know." Tony assured.

"I know but I need to lie down." Emily replied.

"You're not going to fall apart again, are you?" Tony asked.

"No I just need to rest." Emily replied.

"OK" Tony replied.

* * *

McGee looked around his now almost empty living room. This was going to be his third major move in only a year. Even when he was a Navy Brat he didn't move around near as much as he was during his adult life but Stillwater would be his last move for a long time. He had gotten a great deal on a huge one story house. Even the little bathroom was accessible for Delilah. They had a large spare room that Delilah was going to use as an office/sewing room. He was planning on making the basement into a game/writing room for himself. Since while Delilah enjoyed video games. She didn't care so much for the interactive games that McGee mainly played.

"You ready for the move?" Delilah asked rolling into the room.

"Almost" McGee replied.

"But are you ready?" Delilah asked.

"Yeah I am actually really looking forward to it. I have been missing Gibbs and Tony." McGee replied.

"I am looking forward to it too. Will be nice to live into a nice, small-town." Delilah replied.

"Stillwater is great especially now that Gibbs is the sheriff." McGee replied.

"I liked it the times we were there. Even though I was usually only there for a few hours." Delilah replied.

"It will be nice for Dylan to be able to grow-up with Jack and Kristen." McGee replied.

"Have you found a job up there?" Delilah asked.

"Yeah one of the deputies is near retirement age and Gibbs is thrilled to be able to hire me." McGee replied.

"I may get a job once Dylan is a bit older. Do you know anywhere that somebody like me could work, up there?" Delilah asked.

"Tony could use help in the general store. He can do most of the physical work and he has a few teenagers who help him when he can't handle it alone but he could use somebody to run the place while he is gone." McGee explained.

"I did work a cashier during college." Delilah commented.

"And don't worry about customers taking advantage of you. Tony will never let that happen. For somebody who teases so much. He hates bullying." McGee assured.

"I can handle them myself." Delilah assured.

"I know but Tony is a natural protector." McGee replied.

"So are you." Delilah replied.

"Well I learned from him." McGee explained.

* * *

Gibbs tried his best to comfort his screaming daughter. She had been sleeping so peacefully then something had startled her and she woke up screaming her head off. Marie rushed into the room with the pacifier.

"Here try this." Marie said.

"Thanks" Gibbs replied.

"She is an amazing child." Marie commented.

"She is and I pray that I can protect her better than I did my birth daughter." Gibbs replied.

"You will, because you have two agents, six cops, Tony, and the entire town watching out for her and for us." Marie assured.

"I hope so, Marie. I hope so." Gibbs replied.

* * *

**A/N: Will they catch Maya before she brings harm to the Gibbs family? New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.**


	11. Not Your Typical Wedding

Tony woke up the morning of his wedding with an uneasy feeling. Not cold feet or any other form of pre-wedding stress. He felt like something was going to go down. Something bad. He wouldn't dare say a word to Emily though. She was almost five months along now. Between Jimmy's death and the upheaval in the Gibbs's lives. They had not choice but to post-pone their wedding. They were going to have it a month or so earlier but Delilah had come down with a nasty flu and spent a couple of days in the hospital. Now she had recovered and even though Maya was still out there. The double wedding could finally take place. Gibbs and Marie had, had a quick court-house wedding to ensure their adoption would go off without a hitch. Being very superstitious Emily did not want Tony to see her at all the day before the wedding. So Jack and him were staying with the Gibbs's. Tony heard a knock on his door and called for whoever it was to come in. The door opened and Gibbs stepped into the room.

"Got twenty minutes before I need to start getting ready, Boss." Tony yawned.

"I know but I needed to talk to you." Gibbs replied.

"What's up?" Tony asked.

"What did you need to talk about?" McGee asked stepping into the room.

"PROBIE!" Tony cried.

"I've lived here for almost a month Tony." McGee reminded.

"I know but we are getting married today." Tony replied.

"Not to each other." McGee commented.

"I know that Probie!" Tony cried.

"OK so now that, that's settled. I need to talk to both of you." Gibbs replied.

"That's what my mom said when she was sick." Tony commented.

"Nothing like that DiNozzo. Listen both of you are going to be getting married today and I just wanted to give you some advice." Gibbs started/

"Get a pre-nup?" Tony guessed.

"Hide the golf clubs?" McGee asked.

"NO!" Gibbs cried slapping both of them on the back of the head.

"Then, what?" McGee asked.

"Appreciate every moment, tell Emily and Delilah that you love them every day because you never know when you will never get the opportunity again." Gibbs explained.

"I already do that." McGee assured.

"Always have" Tony added.

* * *

Tony sat in the grooms changing room in the Stillwater church. It was really just a classroom that happened to have a sink and closet in it. In forty-five more minutes he would be marrying the love of his life. McGee sat ten feet away from him already dressed and also lost in thought. Tony patted his gun which sat in his ankle holster. He knew that Emily would kill him if she found out he had brought a gun to their wedding and he hated himself for feeling so paranoid but he was still feeling uneasy.

"HELP!" Somebody screamed from outside.

"Did somebody just call for help?" Tony asked.

"Yeah they did." McGee replied.

* * *

Tony jumped up, grabbed his gun, and ran towards the screams. McGee followed close behind holding the baseball bat somebody had stored under the table. They ran outside and saw Gibbs running toward them with Marie close behind.

"Maya! She has Kristen at gun point!" Gibbs explained breathlessly.

"Where?" Tony asked.

"At the store." Maris sobbed.

* * *

Tony and McGee ran towards the store with Gibbs and Marie following close behind. Upon arrival at the store Tony saw that the door was locked. He fired shots at the glass until it shattered and he was able to run inside. He saw Maya standing in the back corner. He could hear Kristen screaming, the louder she got the harder Maya shoved the gun into her face. Tony instructed for McGee to go on his signal, aimed his gun at Maya's head, and fired. He signaled for McGee to go, he raced over and scooped Kristen up just as Maya hit the floor.

"Oh my baby" Marie cried running over towards her baby.

"You saved my daughter, DiNozzo. I owe you everything. You too McGee." Gibbs replied gratefully as he placed his hand on Tony's shoulder.

* * *

Tony was still in shock over what had happened. Blood had splattered onto his tux and he had been forced to change into a regular suit. It was a very fine Armani suit but it wasn't his wedding tux. He had killed somebody on his wedding day. She was a monster who would have killed his boss's daughter. A girl he saw as his own little sister but still he felt terrible. Maybe not terrible but awkward for sure. He adjusted his tie nervously as he stood at the alter. McGee gave him a nervous glance. The two grooms had agreed not to tell their brides what had happened until after the wedding. No need to stress them any more than they already were. The music started to play and Emily and Delilah started down the aisle. Gibbs had his arm linked with Emily's and Delilah's step-dad pushed her slowly down the aisle. They got Delilah up on the alter and the preacher began to speak. Each couple had opted to read the standard vows to other read the standard vows. Deciding that it would be easier and less stressful than having to write their own vows. It would more than likely be faster as well. The ring bearer delivered the rings to the front of the alter and the two couples slid the rings on to the fingers of their respective brides. Then the preacher turned first to to Delilah. It was time to begin the vows.

"Do you Delilah Marcie Fielding take Timothy McGee to be your groom?" The preacher asked.

"I do" Delilah replied.

"Do you Timothy McGee take Delilah Marcie Fielding to be your bride?" The preacher asked.

"I do" McGee replied.

"Do you Emily Angela Lewison take Anthony Dimitri DiNozzo to be your groom?" The preacher asked turning towards Tony.

"I do" Tony replied.

"Do you Anthony Dimitri DiNozzo take Emily Angela Lewison to be your bride?" The preacher asked.

* * *

**A/N: I know I shortened the vows and probably did things out of order but I suck at writing weddings. Anyway new chapter will be up soon and it will also be the last. Please vote in the poll for what story should replace this one. New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.**


	12. How Did My Life Get So Good

Tony watched his son run around the park after, his older sister. Even five years ago if you had told him that one day. He would be married with a son, step-daughter and two babies on the way. Emily was due in a month or so. Thankfully the pregnancy had mostly been very easy on her. She had remained active helping out in the store and mothering Carly and Jack. Only in the past few weeks had the pregnancy started to take its toll on her. Laura was much closer to the end of her pregnancy. They were expecting her to go into labor at any second now. Her pregnancy hadn't been as easy but thankfully without any serious complications. Tony heard his phone buzz, he looked at the screen, and jumped up. This was the text he had been waiting for for nine months now.

"Carly!, Jack! We have to go! The baby's coming!" Tony cried.

"Mommy's or Laura's?" Carly asked, grabbing Jack's hand and running over.

"Laura's, your mom still has a while to go." Tony explained.

"Sister or brother?" Carly asked.

"I don't know yet." Tony replied, Emily and him had agreed not to learn the sex of either baby. All they cared about was getting two healthy babies.

* * *

Gibbs sipped his afternoon coffee and studied the paper. Another perceptibly boring day in Stillwater. The only even requiring police intervention was Widow Stevenson locking herself out of her car. Now that he was father to Kristen and after the ordeal with Maya. He was even more grateful for the slow and boring days. His marriage to Marie was still going strong. The relationship wasn't perfect, sometimes they fought and they disagreed on a lot of issues but at the end of the day they loved each other. His marriage to Marie was nothing like his marriage to Shannon nor was it like his three failed marriages. It wasn't the wild, young love that he had shared with Shannon but it also wasn't the rushed into and fake love that he had with Rebecca, Diane, and Stephanie. Marie and him were happy together and that's all that mattered. Kristen was a good baby. She was walking and talking. She was saying single words and starting to string them together to form sentences. Even though Marie was different from Shannon. He was finally as happy and relaxed as he was during his marriage to Shannon. He finally seemed to have it all; a great job, great wife, an adorable baby, and Tony, McGee, and Abby living close by. The only not perfect thing in his life, was that Ducky was not around. At a doctor's appointment Gibbs's concerns were confirmed. The old doctor had stress induced dementia, along with Alzheimer's Disease. For a while he had been able to remain with the Gibbs family but after an incident with Marie. It was clear that it would not be safe to keep him around the baby. Gibbs's phone rang and he picked it up, expecting another boring "emergency".

"Hello?"

"It's happening Boss! I am getting my baby!"

"Laura's in labor?"

"Yes she is!"

"I will be right there."

"Thanks, great! This is so great!"

* * *

McGee rocked his son in his arms. Delilah and him had decided that seven month old Dylan was enough. They realized that they had gotten lucky with Delilah's easy pregnancy and didn't want to risk her health or the health of a baby to grown their family. Even as an only child Dylan would never be lonely.

"Timmy!" Delilah called.

"What is it? Are you OK?" McGee asked.

"Tony called! Laura's having her baby! Let's get to the hospital!" Delilah called.

"Hear that Dylan? You are getting a new cousin." McGee told his son.

"Ahhaah" Dylan cooed.

* * *

Abby, Danial, and Owen exited the small Stillwater movie theater. All the movies were at least three months old but the prices were good and they always had a family friendly movie playing. Owen was adjusting well to life in Stillwater. He was excelling in school and had made lots of new friends. Danial was working two towns over and Abby was working with the Columbia County Crime Lab. It was a long commute every day but it was worth it and Owen was able to hangout with Marie and Carly in the afternoons.

"Oh My God!" Abby cried checking her texts.

"Abby are you, OK?" Danial asked.

"What's wrong?" Owen questioned.

"LAURA'S HAVING THE BABY!" Abby cried.

"I am going to stay with Owen but you should go to the hospital." Danial replied.

"I want to see the baby." Owen sighed.

"It's just going to be a lot of sitting around and waiting. The baby may not even be born today. Laura is just in labor." Abby explained.

"I will take you to the hospital as soon as the baby is born." Danial added.

* * *

Ducky was in the recreation room at the nursing home he had resided in for the past two months. His disease was progressing much faster than his mother's had. Most likely because of the second diagnosis of stress induced dementia brought on by Jimmy's death. By now he didn't remember anything from his life before NCIS. When he was brought to the home he thought that he was back in England but now he was starting to forget who he even was. He had it together enough to be out of his room a few hours a day but he went downhill fast and spent most of his time sleeping. Everybody knew that he didn't have much time left and the home was preparing him for the end.

"Dr. Mallard?" Nurse Kay called.

"Hmm?" Ducky asked this was one of his good days.

"Do you remember an Anthony DiNozzo?" Nurse Kay asked.

"No" Ducky admitted.

"Well you used to work with him and he is having a baby today." Nurse Kay replied.

"A man having a baby?" Ducky asked.

"No his wife and him are adopting a baby and it is being born." Nurse Kay explained.

"Who?" Ducky asked.

"Tony DiNozzo" Nurse Kay replied.

"Never heard of him but I am happy for him." Ducky replied.

* * *

Tony paced the halls of Columbia County Hospital. Right around a year ago Dylan had been given his death sentence in the children's hospital. Now right down the road Laura was giving birth to the newest member of the DiNozzo family. Tony had been in the room until he got to antsy and Laura kicked him out.

"Tony! It's happening!" Emily called.

* * *

Tony moved as fast as he could back into Laura's room. It was really happening. He was having a baby and he would be present for the birth. That was the only thing he regretted about Emily's kids and Jack was that he had missed the births. Dylan and Carly weren't even genetically his but even he forgot that from time to time. A doctor came in not long after Tony and Emily returned to the room a doctor instructed Laura to push again. After ten minutes of pushing the doctor knelt down and came back up seconds later with a screaming baby.

"It's a girl!" The doctor announced.

"What do you want to call her?" Tony asked Laura.

"I figured you guys would name her." Laura replied.

"We thought that you should do it. She is your baby after all." Emily explained.

"I was actually thinking of Kate." Laura replied.

"I love it." Tony replied.

"You can pick the middle name." Laura offered.

"How about Rebecca after my grandmother." Emily replied.

"Katelyn Rebecca DiNozzo" Tony replied.

* * *

Three weeks after Kate was born, Emily gave birth to a boy. He was named Donald Jethro DiNozzo. When Donny was five months old his namesake Ducky died in his sleep. Gibbs served as the town sheriff for three years before retiring. Tony ran the general store for twenty years before selling it to Owen. McGee worked with the sheriff's department for fifteen. Abby retired after forty years in the field of forensic science. Emily went back to working for the school the fall after she got married and retired just after Tony sold the store. Now that all four kids were out of the house they had devoted their lives to travel. Gibbs died in his sleep the fall before Tony retired. Carly was now a doctor she honored her brother by working in pediatrics. Kate was in her final year at Ohio State and Donny was attending Cal Tech. Kate was going to be a teacher and and Donny was going to be an Engineer. Kristen had followed in her dad's footsteps and was a deputy in Stillwater. Owen was now a lawyer and Dylan McGee was a professor and a writer. Tony stopped walking abruptly and turned towards Emily.

"How did my life turn out so amazing?" Tony wondered allowed.

* * *

**FIN**

**A/N: Did the ending do the story justice? New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.**


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